A few hours later.
Aboard a large cargo ship.
Zabuza sat solemnly on the deck, his right hand wrapped in bandages and a sword in his left.
Beside him stood Haku, who was not very tall.
Holding a piece of gauze, Haku rose onto his toes and gently tended the wounds on Zabuza's shoulder.
A few "lonely dogs" watching from a distance looked on with deep resentment.
"Lord Zabuza, do you... do you really trust them?"
Haku glanced at Natsume and the others in the distance, then asked in a low voice, his heart full of worry.
Especially that boy who was about the same age as Haku. He was far too strong!
Even now, Haku still hadn't recovered from the shock of being defeated in an instant.
"Haku, you've been with me for several years now, haven't you?"
"Six years, seven months, and twenty-three days," Haku answered precisely.
"Then tell me... do you really think I could one day take the Kirigakure back by myself?"
"I... well..."
"It'd be difficult. Almost impossible, really..."
Haku bit his red lips and answered honestly.
Zabuza sighed.
"That's right! We're already struggling just to survive the Anbu's pursuit."
"There's no way we could overthrow the Fourth Mizukage's rule..."
"That kid was right. I could save my whole life and still never afford to hire enough ninja."
"So what difference does it make whether I trust them or not?"
"All I need is a chance."
"He can give me that chance. Let me abandon all my cowardice and fight to the death. That's enough."
"What he wants doesn't matter."
"Whether I die doesn't matter either."
"I'm a sinner who should have died long ago!"
Zabuza replied in a distant voice, a faint ember burning in his eyes.
It was the last glimmer of hope he still held for the village.
"No, Lord Zabuza, you won't die! You can't die!"
"Death is a ninja's rightful end. Haku, once we make land, slip away quietly."
"Those people probably won't bother with you. If you run fast enough, you should be able to escape with your life."
Zabuza stared at the boy before him and warned him gravely.
It was as if he were making his final arrangements.
To be honest, in his eyes,
this trip was almost certain to end in death!
Those Uchiha ninja were strong, but they could never stand against all of Kirigakure!
"I won't leave you, Lord Zabuza! Wherever you go, I'll go too!"
Haku leaned gently against Zabuza's broad shoulder and answered with unwavering resolve.
Lord Zabuza had saved Haku's life.
Haku would never escape alone!
At that moment.
Watching this cloyingly affectionate scene from the far end of the deck, Natsume and the others couldn't help feeling their teeth ache.
They should've tossed that Mist Demon straight into the sea to feed the fish, instead of letting him shower everyone with his public displays of affection...
Seeing this, Gin hurriedly egged him on.
"Young Clan Head, I think that little girl is pretty cute. Why don't you..."
"Pah! He's a boy! Keep your dirty thoughts to yourself!"
"Huh? He's a boy?"
"But, Young Clan Head, didn't you say yourself: as long as they're pretty, that's what matters. Gender doesn't have to be such a strict requirement..."
Natsume jumped up in exasperation and gave Gin another sharp knock on the head.
"You little rascal. Of all the things I've said, you just had to remember that one?"
"Heh heh, I was only joking."
"But, Young Clan Head, honestly."
"Are we really going to take on all of Kirigakure?"
Natsume raised an eyebrow. "What, are you scared?"
Gin replied, "Of course not."
"It's just that there are only a few of us. Won't that look a little pathetic?"
It wasn't just Gin. Even Nichiyo and Tsukihime, standing nearby,
were still a little uneasy after hearing the news.
It felt just like in Natsume's previous life,
when a special forces unit suddenly declared it would wipe out one of the Five Great Powers.
It was hard to feel confident about that!
Natsume said, "Don't worry. I've got this."
"It's time you saw my real strength."
"I'll handle their main forces later. You just finish off whoever's left!"
Natsume reassured them confidently.
At this point, he
had a Sharingan comparable to the Eternal Mangekyo, three S-rank ninjutsu, a divine weapon... and a stockpile of Gold Coins in the tens of thousands.
He couldn't imagine how he could possibly lose against just Kirigakure.
Besides, he was already practically decked out in half a set of divine gear.
Wouldn't it be too boring to keep hiding at home and playing it safe?
A real man should meet his foes head-on!
He should charge straight into the fray!
Even if he was still just a boy...
Hearing this, Nichiyo and the others exchanged glances.
In the end, they could only accept it and prepare to go along with their Young Clan Head's crazy plan.
If things really went south and they couldn't win,
the three of them could hold off the enemy with their lives and buy their Young Clan Head some time to escape.
"But why choose Kirigakure?"
Nichiyo asked, puzzled.
Natsume said, "Because Kirigakure is easy to bully!"
Nichiyo and the others: ...
Kirigakure: ...
Of course, "easy to bully" was only relative.
Among the Five Great Shinobi Villages,
all the other four were fairly close in overall strength, except for the Hidden Leaf Village, which had piles of forbidden jutsu and a whole crowd of people with cheat-like abilities.
However,
the Third Mizukage and Fourth Mizukage had both been secretly controlled in turn.
They had also pursued the policy of the Bloody Mist Village.
That was what had made Kirigakure's infighting so severe.
In the brutal environment of mutual slaughter, only a handful of students from each Ninja Academy class usually survived long enough to graduate.
After many years, the number of ninja in all of Kirigakure had naturally declined sharply, greatly weakening its overall strength.
Of course, Kirigakure being somewhat weaker wasn't the only reason.
There were plenty of others.
For instance, their own Flame Hidden Village had only just been established and needed a major victory to bolster its influence.
Nothing would draw more attention and inspire more fear
than the glorious feat of defeating one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages head-on!
Besides, with the "Mist Demon," Zabuza Momochi, leading the way,
this war could be presented as an internal coup within Kirigakure.
They were merely reinforcements hired by Kirigakure Ninja.
They'd have an entirely legitimate reason for fighting, without making the Flame Hidden Village seem overly warlike and brutal.
And then there was Kirigakure's Vault. It was tempting, too! It was time to "rob the rich to help the poor."
Finally,
if they really defeated Kirigakure and brought the Land of Water to heel,
there would be nothing left to hold them back across the entire surrounding sea.
Their Maritime Trade Company could move freely through more than a dozen neighboring countries, expanding maritime trade in a big way.
They could even expand into the populous Land of Water and rake in a fortune.
Looking at it that way,
it was four benefits in one—or was it five?
Never mind.
The point was, there were plenty of benefits. It was worth a fight!
That was the real reason Natsume planned to attack Kirigakure.
It definitely wasn't because he was so shortsighted that he wanted to grab the ten million ryo Zabuza had offered.
And he certainly wasn't after Kirigakure's fresh-faced, soft-skinned kunoichi!
And so, the cargo ship surged across the sea at full speed.
It sailed for most of the day, all the way until dusk.
At last, it reached a port in the Land of Water.
All the ordinary workers had been cleared from the port, leaving only cargo ships moored along the shore, swaying silently.
"They're here!"
Zabuza stood up with his sword in hand and gazed solemnly toward the distant port.
Clearly, his sharp instincts had already sensed the countless threats lurking ashore.
"Who?"
Zabuza replied, "Kirigakure's Anbu."
Gin said, "As expected of Anbu ninja. They sure got here fast!"
Zabuza said, "You can still leave. Their target should only be me..."
Natsume chuckled and rubbed his knuckles.
"Come on. You can barely swing your sword, so why are you putting on an act?"
"Move aside."
"Open your eyes and see what real killing efficiency looks like!"
Natsume strode forward several steps.
He reached the ship's figurehead and faced the many Kirigakure ninja lurking in the port.
Then he reached out with his right hand.
A short blade, formed from condensed chakra, appeared in his hand in an instant.
Clearly, the Kunwu Blade wasn't necessary for killing a bunch of small fry.
The next moment,
Natsume tapped his toes against the deck and vanished.
The killing had officially begun!
Before you continue